Coal-bag.



H. JOSEPHSON. COAL BAG.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, 19H

1,291,539, Patented Jun. 14, 1919.

SWue 14m Harry Jbsejohsow HARRY JOSEPHSON. OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

COAL-BAG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14,1919.

Application filed March 6, 1918. Serial No. 220,727.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY JOSEPHSON, a subject of the King of Roumania, and resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fail-field and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Goal- Bags, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in bags, and especially that, class of bags generally known as coal bags and commonly used for the delivery of coal.

The present commercial and more popular form of coal bag of the above class, is now made of heavy canvas and forms a flexible structure having a tightly closed bottom and sides, and an open top, making a dust and v'ater-proof receptacle.

This form of bag, while more or less popular, has its limitations in wearing qualities. The bulk of the weight of the coal when contained in these bags comes upon their bottom, which condition, together with the fact that the laborers in handling thebags usually drag them on the floor or ground more or less when loading and unloading, causes the bottoms to quickly wear through. This Wearing out of the bottom is so general that the bags are frequently rebottomed several times before the upper or side portions give away.

It is therefore the purpose of this invention to provide an improved form of coal bag whose upper or side portions are flexible and provided with handles for carrying the same, but which has a stronger bottom than the socalled all canvas bags and which bottom will be somewhat flexible and provided with openings to allow the water and dust to pass through, thereby permitting the ba g and coal to dry out if it becomes wet. Further, to

provide in the construction of the bottom,

means to allow the bag to be more freely dragged upon the floor and thus better facilitate handling, and in general to produce a bag with an improved form of bottom having greater wearing qualities and in other ways more durable and preferable to the old form of coal bag.

With these and other objects in view the invention resides and consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction within the scope of the claim may be resorted to without departure from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Similar characters of reference denote like or corresponding parts throughoutthe several figures of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and upon which:

Figure 1 shows a bottom perspective view of my improved form of coal bag.

Fig. 2 shows a, cross section through the bottom of the bag, taken on line '2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the bottom of the bag, taken on line 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: is an enlarged end view of two of the wood strips together with a metal spacing and protecting piece which is nailed to the ends of the parallel wood strips, and

Flg. 5 is a plan view of the metal spacing and protecting piece as seen from the top, the wood strips and nails being shown in dotted lines.

The upper portion including the sides and handles of my improved form of coal bag is preferably made of heavy canvas. This may be cut and seamed as may be best suited to the width of the material and the size and proportion of the bag required.

In the drawing 6 represents the sides of the bag and 7 the handles of which there may be two arranged on the opposite upper.

edges. 8 is a reinforcing strip around the top edge of the bag which like the handles may be formed of canvas and stitched to the body portion. A similar reinforcing strip 9 is likewise stitched to the bottom edge portion of the bag to strengthen the same at the point where it is nailed or otherwise secured to the special construction of bottom which I will next describe.

The preferred way of forming this bottom, as will be seen, is to provide a series of strips 18 that are preferably formed of wood and provided with holes to receive the rods 10 to hold and space the strips at proper distances apart. This construction enables me to produce, desired, a solid but flexible bottom which better adapts the bag for handling coal as well as for the handling of the empty bags.

These strips 18 are made of substantially square stock and are cut to length and provided with transverse holes. They are threaded upon the rods of which there may be any desired number, and between the end portions of these strips are arranged I suitably shaped sheet metal pieces 11 which serve to-space the ends of the strips one from the other and to also overlap portions of the bottom edge of the bag in a way to protect the same. These sheet metal pieces are not necessarily placed between the end portions of all of the strips but may be used between every other one or more as conditions may require. These sheet metal pieces include an upturned portion 12 that lies between the strips and are. provided with holes 13 to receive the rods 10 and holes 1% to receive the nails that are used for attaching the metal pieces to one of the wood strips. The outer end portions 15 of the sheet metal pieces are disposed upward and are provided with holes to receive the nails 16 which are also driven through the canvas and into the end portions of the strips in a way to secure the same, and also to attach the strips individually and collectively to the bottom of the bag. Between the portions of these strips Where the sheet metal pieces are not used, and in line with the rods 10, I provide metal washers or wheels 17 which are of a thickness equal to that of the thickness of the upturned portion 12 of the sheet metal piece. These wheels are threaded upon the rods between the wood strips and are so located that they project slightly down from the under face of the strips to form a bearing and support for the bottom. It will thus be seen that the wheels are free to turn upon the rod and between the strips when the loaded bag is dragged upon the floor and thus greatly facilitates moving the bag, and further serves to protect the bottom.

When the parts are threaded together in the manner described the thickness of the rollers also serve to space the Wood strips one from the other, leaving slot-like openings therebetween, that will readily permit the dirt from the coal to fall through and also allow the water to drain out should the bags be exposed to rain or snow, thereby insuring the delivery of clean dry coal. As will be seen from both Figs. 2 and 3 the lower edge portions of the canvas side of the bag covers the outer sides or edges of the assembled bottom, and that the said bottom edge of the sides are secured thereto by means of a series of small nails.

As has been suggested the bottom of my improved bag is slightly flexible yet vnot enough so to permit it to be folded. The top portion of the bag, when empty, can, however, be folded down upon the bottom in the usual way, or it the bags are made larger at the top than at the bottom, they may be stacked one within the other.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A bag of the class described, the bottom portion of which is formed of aseries of strips, a series of rods threaded through the same, metal spacing pieces disposed between and under the outer edge portion of the strips and covering the lower edge portion of the canvas and a flexible body portion .the lower edge portions of which are secured to said strips.

Signed at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, this 28th day of February, A. D. 1918.

HARRY J OSEPHSON.

Witnesses C. M. NEWMAN, LILLIAN M. ALLING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Batenta,

Washington, D. G.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,291,539, granted January 14, 1919, upon the application of Harry Josephson, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, for an improvement in Coal-Ba s, an error appears in the rinted specification requiring correction as follows: age 2, after line 76 insert the following as claim 2:

2. A bag of the class described, the body portion of which is formed of flexible material, and having a bottom formed of a series of wood strips, a series of rods threaded through the strips in a manner to secure them together, and a series of wheels mounted upon the rods between the strips to space them apart and support the bag, the lower edge portion of said body being directly attached to such of said strips as form the outer edge portion of the bottom and metal protecting pieces covering the end portions of said strips and the lower edge portion of the canvas. and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 4th day of March, A. D., 1919.

R. F. WHITEHEAD, Acting Commissioner of Patents.

[SEAL] 

